


Love Is For Suckers

by Little_Plebe



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-09-24 09:18:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9714908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Plebe/pseuds/Little_Plebe
Summary: When Steve meets Dr. Foster's lab manager, he immediately agrees to help her plan an anti-Valentine's Day party. While Darcy has adopted a new mantra: Love is for suckers, Steve is pretty much indifferent to all the hype. Between planning anti-love menus and putting up posters everywhere, he tries to show Darcy that people shouldn't need Valentine's Day to express their love and that romance is eternal with the right person.





	1. Broken Hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [emma98](https://archiveofourown.org/users/emma98/gifts).



> Emma, you're the music to my silence, the fluff to my angst, the light to my darkness. You're simply wonderful. Please don't hate me. I tried my best to give you what you wanted. All your prompts were amazing but I suppose you can guess why I picked this one. Happy Valentine's Day, my dear. I hope you have a good one.

“Love is for suckers.”

The words, printed in big black letters and crooked font, caught Steve’s attention and he stopped in his tracks to study the poster that had been cropping up all the over the facility in the past few days. Having previously ignored it, thinking it was some sort of a prank or a bid to find someone a date, Steve was surprised to see a new addition to the poster. It was a drawing of a cupid lying in a pool of broken hearts. It was done in pencil. Apparently, someone had doodled over the poster before sticking it up there.

“That’s harsh,” remarked Sam, peering over Steve’s shoulder at the morbid poster.

“It’s actually an intricately done doodle.”

“I mean the concept,” said Sam. “Love is for suckers. Cupid crying. Broken hearts. Look, it says here… bring a photo of your ex to shred? Jesus. Someone is pissed.”

Steve chuckled. “I think it’s funny.”

“You’re in a good mood,” observed Sam as they continued on their way to the kitchen. “Got a hot date for Valentine’s?”

“Sure, yeah, I mean having a hot date is the only thing that makes me happy these days.”

“Is he sassing around again?” Natasha joined them, newly cut red hair bouncing on her shoulders and a brow arched in Steve’s direction. “He wasn’t like that when I first met him.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “ _He_ is right here.”

“Look, all I’m saying is, a person should not be alone on Valentine’s Day,” insisted Sam. “That’s just cruel.”

“It’s just a normal day, Sam. It’s the people who hype it up.”

“Do you want a date by next week or not?” demanded Natasha, her tone clearly implying that she already had someone in mind for Steve.

“Did you not hear what I just said?”

“Sorry, what?”

Steve sighed. It was no use arguing with her. She would come at him again in a day or two. He had pretty much scheduled her interference in his personal life in his work calendar. It was easier to expect her ambushes that way.

The trio reached the kitchen to see an annoyed Rhodey marching out, a donut in hand. “Who gave that crazy woman clearance to this area?” he demanded of Natasha, who always seemed to have all the answers. But the redhead stared at him in bemusement, having no idea what he was talking about. Rhodey shook his head and left, muttering comical kid-friendly curses under his breath.

Steve, Sam and Natasha exchanged glances before stepping inside. The first thing Steve noticed was an enormous mangled teddy bear sitting on the kitchen counter. It was holding in its paws a stuffed heart that was ripped down the middle and the woman standing over it… was stuffing chocolates into it? Sam gasped comically at the sight and looked wounded.

“I can’t witness such torture,” he said, hurrying out of the kitchen.

Steve didn’t know what to think about it and could only watch in astonishment as the woman grabbed handfuls of chocolates from a bowl and crammed the hollowed out teddy bear with sweets. She was short and curvy and her red lips moved in a silent song as she worked, not having noticed their presence.

“That’s Darcy,” Natasha murmured. “The brains behind all the anti-Valentine vibes surrounding the facility these days.”

Steve felt his eyebrows rise in interest. “She’s the one responsible for all those posters?”

Natasha smirked. “Love is for suckers? Yeah. She was recently dumped by her idiot of a boyfriend. Over a text message no less. She’s Jane Foster’s lab manager. You know, Thor’s woman.”

Normally, Steve would be suspicious of Natasha honoring him with unnecessary details about another woman but he had to admit, this was a strange way to meet someone. Plus, the redhead looked more amused than smug, giving Steve the vague impression that Darcy wasn’t on her coveted list of ‘Perfect Matches for Steve Rogers’.

“Looks like she found a way to channel all that anger,” he joked.

“I can hear you, you know.” The woman turned around and Steve suppressed a snort at her ‘I eat men for breakfast’ apron. She placed her hands on her hips and regarded the two of them with an unforgiving expression. “For your information, I wasn’t dumped,” she began defensively. “I gave him no choice. I called him a liar, a cheater and a coward. Would you stay with a woman who called you such names?”

She was looking directly at Steve and he coughed awkwardly. “I would if she was worth it.”

For some reason, Darcy looked offended by his words and turned back to stuff the bear with more force than before. Steve didn’t know what he had said wrong. Natasha slapped his arm angrily and stepped forward, speaking kindly, “He didn’t mean that _you’re_ not worth it, Darcy. He just meant—”

Steve realized his error and immediately tried to rectify it when Darcy spoke. “I know that’s not what he… I just—not all men think like you do, Captain.”

She shrugged and aimed a smile at him, her entire face morphing into an expression so appealing that Steve wanted to capture it on paper. He found himself asking her, “Do you need help with that?”

Natasha shot him a strange look. “Why don’t we go out for lunch?” she said. “Sharon’s in town. We could ask her to join us.”

Steve shook his head. “I think I’m going to stay with Darcy. If she doesn’t mind, that is.”

The woman in question beamed. “I need someone to wrap gifts.”

Steve grinned. “I’m your man.”

Leaving a speechless Natasha at the door, he strode forward to stand beside Darcy. “So, what’s the bear for?”

“He’s gonna be sort of like a piñata,” replied Darcy enthusiastically. “But with chocolates! _Imagine your scumbag ex and hit hard_ type of activity. Just need to sew him back up. Come on, let’s go to my place. We've lots to do.”


	2. Big Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank PieAnnaMay for her constant encouragement and motivation. She's always there, holding my hand and patting my back, when I'm writing. Thanks, Anna. I always look forward to your messages. So glad I met you.

Darcy Lewis was trouble. The moment Steve had agreed to help her plan the anti-Valentine’s Day party, she had grabbed his hand and refused to let go. She made him wrap the party favors, sketch a giant banner to hang on the wall, decorate a wreath of black roses into the shape of a heart, she made him taste samples of the menu she had prepared for the party and basically dragged him around everywhere she went. She was a tenacious little thing, firm in the things she wanted and cool in the face of obstacles.

On the third day of their unexpected and abrupt friendship, Darcy had barged into his room and made herself comfortable on his bed.

“So, we have the Cheating Cupcakes, Heartless Margarita, Scum Sandwich, Lying Pizza and, my personal favorite, Fries Before Guys.”

“That’s rather sexist,” remarked Steve, awkwardly standing at the edge of his bed, wondering if he should join her. “What if there are guys attending your hate party?”

“It’s not a _hate_ party, geez,” she said automatically. “And it’s a girls-only shindig.” She went back to scribbling away into the notebook she had with her at all times. Considering her superior understanding of technology, it was refreshing to see someone like her going around planning a party with a notebook instead of an iPad.

“I think you should put out an open invitation, for both genders,” suggested Steve, tentatively perching on the edge of his bed and slowly scooting over until he was sitting opposite her.

“Why?” asked Darcy, eyes still on her book and lips pursed in concentration.

Steve was momentarily struck speechless as he watched the light bounce off her waves, making them shine and giving her pale skin a different sort of a glow. He had realized since day one that theirs was a symbiotic relationship. He helped her plan the party and in return, he could stare at her as much and for as long as he wanted. In the course of just three days, he had pretty much familiarized himself with the curves and contours of her body. She was not at all what one would call a conventional beauty, with dark hair, pale skin, round figure and tiny limbs, but to him, she was perfect. Steve had never been one to go for the exterior anyway. What mattered was always on the inside. And Darcy Lewis was _filled_ with goodness. She was straightforward, passionate and fun to talk to. She was, to sum it up accurately, big trouble.

“Is there something on my face?”

Steve blinked and came crashing down to earth. “Yeah, there’s… um… on your cheek,” he lied guiltily.

She touched it. “Where? What is it?”

“Let me,” he offered, hovering his fingers near her face, awaiting permission to touch. She gave a subtle nod and his hand hedged forward, cupping her jaw while his thumb stroked imaginary dirt from her cheek. She was warm and soft and difficult to let go.

He pulled away after a few seconds of indulgence. “There. It’s gone.”

“Thanks,” she said with a clueless smile. “Now what were you saying about an open invitation?”

Steve nodded, temporarily reining in his feelings. “Yes, well, I’m sure there are a lot of men who are single during Valentine’s Day. Women are not the only ones in need of company that day, you know.”

His words gave her a pause and for a moment she looked disturbed. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Maybe because you think all men are lying, cheating scumbags and are partially to blame for all your bad breakups till today…?”

Darcy’s jaw dropped and she stared at him for a long time, her face devoid of any expression. Steve wondered if he had made a mistake in being bold with her. But then she groaned and fell sideways onto his pillow, hiding her face from him.

“Maybe you’re right… I don’t know,” she said, sounding pained. “I feel so selfish now.”

“You’re not selfish.”

“I don’t think you’re a lying, cheating scumbag.”

“I know.”

“But you’re right,” she said, lowering her hands and looking at him gloomily. “My judgment is askew.”

Steve smiled and poked her knee. “Then I think you should start by putting out an open invitation. I bet a lot of men would want to come.”

“Would you?” Darcy asked, regarding him with curiosity.

“Why not?” said Steve with a shrug. “Unless there’s a world saving emergency, I’d have nothing better to do than attend your crazy party.”

She sat up, suddenly interested, and his heart skipped a beat. It was a different feeling altogether, being the object of her scrutiny. He could tell she had questions.

“I thought you’d have a date for sure,” she began.

“Yeah well, don’t worry,” he said wryly. “I’m sure Natasha’s working on it.”

Darcy giggled. “Is she, like, your matchmaker?”

Steve rolled his eyes. “She wishes. I hate it when she interferes. But I’m used to it and have even begun to see the humor value in her constant nagging.”

“Well, she cares about you, and she knows what it’s like. Just wait, as the day nears, it’s going to get unbearable, watching all those lovey-dovey couples holding hands and making out in public, food joints and malls decorated for the occasion, romance movies and songs on all channels… it’s all just…”

“Really silly?”

“No. Disgusting.”

Steve shot her a knowing look. “Yeah? And would you still find it disgusting if you had a boyfriend right now?”

Darcy pursed her lips. “Yes,” she replied as steadily as she could but Steve could see right through her.

He smiled. “Don’t mistake your jealousy for disgust, Darcy. It’s okay if you don’t have a date for Valentine’s Day. It’s just another day. Don’t let it hold so much power over you.”

She looked away and bit her lip, and he knew he hadn’t gotten through to her when she mumbled, “Yeah… but let’s get back to the agenda.”


	3. Love Stinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can check out the image set for this story [here on my tumblr](http://littleplebe.tumblr.com/post/157234525734/for-the-absolutely-lovely-wahwahwaffles-love-is) if you want.

Natasha cornered him on the fifth day of planning. “What have you been up to?” she hissed. “Sharon’s been here for over a week and you haven’t once stopped by to say hi.”

“If you haven’t noticed, my hands are a bit full right now,” Steve said with a grin, jiggling a box of decorations in her face. “Literally.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, her gaze calculating. “What are you playing at?”

“How do you mean?”

“Darcy’s not your type.”

His grin faded. “And what do you know about my type?”

“You want a fighter. Someone brave and mature and classy.”

“Look at that. You just described Darcy!”

“Steve,” sighed Natasha. “What are you doing?”

“I know what I’m doing, Nat,” said Steve softly, squeezing her arm. “Trust me.”

She pursed her lips and stared at him, then nodded uncertainly. “All right. But don’t break her heart when you later decide I was right. She’s been through enough.”

Steve grinned and started walking, Natasha falling into step beside him. “Good thing I’m not the breaking hearts type. Darcy’s the real heartbreaker. Have you looked at her lately?”

“Yeah, looks like she’s over her breakup.”

Steve shook his head. “That, too. But what I meant was—look, here she comes!” He exclaimed, noticing Darcy turn a corner and walk toward them, oblivious to their presence. She looked up at Steve’s voice and beamed, quickening her pace. “Isn’t she glowing?”

When Natasha didn’t reply, he turned to see her smiling softly at him. “It’s probably because of you, Steve.”

“Hey,” Darcy stopped to greet them. She pinched Steve’s chin affectionately, then looked at Natasha. “You here to help us with the decorations?”

The redhead shook her head. “I wish I could, but I’m going to the tower to check up on Stark. He hasn’t visited in a while.”

Darcy gasped and bounced excitedly on her toes. “Oh, can I come? I’d love to meet Iron Man. Not just because I think he’s amazing but I wanna discuss with him some ideas for improvements of lab space here at the facility and I think…”

Steve scowled at Natasha as Darcy rambled on. The woman he was attracted to was an Iron Man fan. Great. If Tony found out, he would have a field day. The super soldier shook his head and nudged Darcy with his shoulder. “We have work to do here. Come on. Bye, Nat.”

He ignored the amusement on Natasha’s face as he quickly led Darcy away.

“I was thinking of taking a break anyway,” Darcy told him grumpily. “I’d have been back in an hour.”

“Take a break with _me_ ,” offered Steve hopefully, making her sigh.

“Don’t give me those eyes.”

He smiled and allowed a spring in his step as he followed her to the spare lab they had cleared for the party on Tuesday. Jane was there, looking strangely at the paper hearts strung together on the wall. Darcy had cut those hearts out of colorful paper and Steve had written the words inside them. The scientist turned when they entered, pointing skeptically at the paper hearts.

“Can you not? Single 4eva? _Love stinks_?” she read out loud. “I dislike these very much.”

Darcy directed Steve to place the box he was carrying on the long table situated in the middle of the lab. “You’re still coming, right?” she asked Jane, who nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh yes, it’s going to be fun. Helen’s coming too, and she has the perfect playlist for the occasion.”

Darcy laughed. “Excellent. Now shoo. Go work on the Foster-Stark Intergalactica. Steve and I have a teddy bear to hang.”

Said bear sat listlessly in the corner of the lab, a long poorly sewn gash ran down its middle. Jane looked at it and chuckled. “Poor teddy. He’s too cute to die.”

“That’s what I keep telling her,” Steve piped up, coming over to elbow Darcy playfully.

She giggled. “Hush you. He’s just a toy. Stop making me feel guilty about it.”

“You-know-who gave her the bear,” Jane whispered loudly to Steve. “That’s why she’s okay with killing it.”

“I see,” Steve whispered back, enjoying Darcy’s huff of irritation.

“Are you done making fun of me?” she demanded and they both stood to attention.

“Yes, ma’am!”

After Jane left with a cheerful “Buh-bye”, Steve and Darcy set to work. They didn’t have much to do. Darcy didn’t want to put up a lot of decorations and make everything look garish. Even the colors they had used for the broken hearts and the balloons were pastels, except for the wreath of black roses. That shit was there to stay. _Heart as black as night…_

Once the bear had been hung and a baseball bat placed nearby, Darcy declared their work done for the day.

“Just two more days to go,” she cheered, doing a funny little jig. “Tomorrow, we bake cupcakes!”

Her mood was contagious. “Do you know how to bake?”

“No, but I’m a fast learner.” She winked at him and Steve barked out a laugh. His little Darcy. Tenacious, as always.

On the way to her room, where she insisted they take a movie break, Steve glimpsed one of the new posters she had put up the day before. It specified open invitation to both males and females. He smiled. At least she had taken his advice. Now all he had to do was show her that people didn’t need Valentine’s Day to express their love for each other, that it could be done every day and that romance was eternal with the right person.

“You’re staring,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “Is there something on my face again?”

“There’s glitter in your hair,” Steve lied easily.

“What?” she groaned, running a hand through her tresses. “But I haven’t been anywhere near glitter all day!”

“Here, let me get it for you.” He waited for her nod and then gently treaded his fingers through her hair.

Boy, he was in so much trouble!


	4. Captain Casanova

The buzz of his phone vibrating with a text message woke Steve up. He hummed in annoyance and shifted restlessly to get more comfortable in a bid to be seduced by sleep again; but as the seconds ticked by, his awareness of his surroundings increased. He heard a clock ticking somewhere, caught the faint chirping of birds outside the closed window, felt the cool brush of hair against his skin and… wait, what?

His eyes snapped open to find Darcy curled up beside him, cheek pressed against his outstretched arm, long hair tickling his skin and twisting around his relaxed fingers. Her one hand rested over his bicep, the delicious heat of her palm seeping into his skin. Steve turned on his side to face her, careful not to roll over and crease the open notebook between them. He couldn’t remember falling asleep. He was supposed to finish the movie and leave. But it seemed like exhaustion had caught up with them both and now there he was, waking up in Darcy’s bed, debating whether he should leave or stay.

War raged inside his head for a long minute, at the end of which his decision to stay concluded that he was weak when it came to Darcy. It was difficult not to stare and not to want to touch her when she was around; it was a losing battle he had given up all hope of ever winning. Watching her sleep brought him a kind of peace only a quiet, scenic place and a good book could otherwise help achieve. She looked different when she was sleeping. Her normally expressive face was completely blank, utterly vulnerable and the innocence she exuded was overwhelming. Sleep knocked at least five years off her face. Steve couldn’t stop being in awe of her even if he tried.

Raising his hand, he carefully placed it over hers. Her fingers twitched and squeezed his bicep but she did not wake up. He whispered her name.

“Wake up.” A tiny frown made its way onto her face and Steve said her name again, this time a little louder. “It’s Valentine’s Day. You missed the party!”

She huffed out a breath. “Liar.” Her eyes fluttered open and she peered at him, unsurprised and unaffected at waking up next to him. Her sleepy gaze fell on his hand covering hers and she realized, “We fell asleep. Did we even finish the movie?”

“Can’t say.”

“Did we have sex?”

Since they were both fully clothed and had at least a foot’s space between their bodies, it was clear she was trying to make light of the situation by making him uncomfortable. She got a kick out of it. Darcy was just like Natasha in that way. Well, it was certainly helpful that he knew the rules of the game now.

“Do you feel pleasantly sated and terribly sore?” he asked her calmly.

She stared at him in surprise. “No.”

“Then, no. We didn’t have sex.”

Darcy burst out laughing, snatching her hand from his grasp to cover her mouth. “Pleasantly sated?” she repeated, giggling. “Really confident in your skills, aren’t you, Rogers?”

“Well,” he said complacently. “I’m not one to brag, but…” He gave her a crooked smile that sent her in peels again.

“Steve, you idiot,” she hiccupped, sitting up with difficulty. He followed suit, smiling at the way her shoulders shook as she laughed. “Come on, Casanova,” she said after she had calmed down a little. “We’ve lots of baking to do today.”

 

“No, Steve, you’re going counterclockwise.” Darcy closed her fingers around his and tried to take the beater from him. “That’s counter… productive,” she told him when he refused to let go.

“It doesn’t matter which way I go, Darcy,” protested Steve. “The book only tells us to beat the batter till it’s smooth. It doesn’t specify which way. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

He shot a pointed look at the flour in her hair and the chocolate stains on her apron. To be fair, the flour was his fault. Darcy said he was simply too strong to do trivial things like open a packet of flour. He had managed to get it everywhere, in their faces, on the kitchen counter, on the floor, everywhere except in the container where it was supposed to go. As if that wasn’t enough, Darcy had then accidentally dropped the sample bowl of batter they had prepared for the first batch. Steve had managed to catch the bowl but not before a good amount of the batter found its way onto Darcy’s apron.

“Well,” she began defensively. “Clockwise would get the job done faster. And if you hadn’t wasted half our morning coughing up flour, we’d be down two batches of cupcakes by now.”

“You were the one who dropped the first batch,” Steve pointed out, eyebrows arched. “Don’t forget how I caught it with my superior skill and quick reflexes.”

Darcy snorted. “You’re way too cocky to be Captain America. You can’t even bake.”

“Neither can you.”

“I’m knowledgeable in other areas.”

“So am I.”

“And I’m a civilian.”

“How is that a relevant argument?”

The partially readied batter forgotten, they stood inches from each other, too involved in their argument to stop for five minutes and prepare the first batch. Darcy crossed her arms and said, “I thought being a superhero, one has to be multitalented.”

“Let me remind you, those talents don’t always include baking.”

“That’s convenient.”

Steve paused and considered what they were doing. “Are we seriously arguing about this?”

She blinked thoughtfully, then grinned. “Guess so. ‘Twas fun,” she added.

Steve let out a surprised laugh. “Yeah.”

Moments later, they were back to work when Darcy casually wondered, “What d’you think your name would be if your superpower was baking?”

“Steve, the Benevolent Baker.”

Darcy snorted. “Seriously?”

“How about Baker Supreme?” he suggested after some serious thought and she burst out laughing. Steve hid a smile. “Baker Supreme it is.”


	5. Cheating Cupcakes

_Meet at the south side wing this evening? I wanna show you something._

Steve almost ignored the buzz of his phone when it vibrated with Natasha’s message. A day before the party found Steve and Darcy still messing around in the kitchen, trying not to waste any more flour or burn any more cupcakes. While they had failed spectacularly the day before, their current situation was infinitely better for which Steve couldn’t be more thankful. He was planning on taking Darcy out that evening and wanted their work to be done by then.

Grabbing his phone, he took a quick look at the message and groaned audibly.

_The weapons division? Nat, I hope this isn’t another attempt to teach me how to shoot. You know I can handle a gun reasonably well. I just prefer hand-to-hand combat._

If his assumption about this impromptu meeting was correct, it would be Natasha’s third attempt to push him on the training floor with a variety of guns and rifles at his disposal. When he told this to Darcy, she laughed.

“Humor her. She’s just trying to look out for you.”

“She’s trying to be bossy,” Steve corrected, dipping a finger in the frosting and bringing it to his lips. “Anyway, you were saying…”

Darcy put the last batch of cupcakes in the oven and came over to decorate the previous one. “Yeah. So, before he died, he gave me this book, _The Little Prince_ —perhaps you’ve heard of it?—I didn’t understand it at first. To me, it was just a fairytale. But over the course of the following years, as I moved around from one foster home to another, the story of the Little Prince was the only thing that kept me going. You know that feeling, where you’re surrounded by people and yet feel like you’re all alone in the world?”

Steve nodded, watching her apply frosting to a vanilla cupcake as she spoke, her voice a faraway sound that echoed hollowly in his ears, transporting him back to his own childhood.

“I remember crying myself to sleep, clutching the book to my chest, wishing it were my dad instead. But the Prince eventually helped me get through the pain.” Darcy set the butter knife down and looked at him, smiling softly. “It’s not so difficult anymore, not having a family.”

“You have Jane,” Steve reminded her gently.

“It’s not the same,” she confessed. “But yeah, I have Jane.”

“You’ll have a family one day.” It sounded corny to his own ears but he couldn’t help giving her some reassurance. Everyone deserved a family.

Darcy laughed, coating the tip of her finger with some chocolate frosting and popping it into her mouth. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I want one now. I’ve been through a fair amount of breakups and, logically, it should hurt less each time but…”

Steve pursed his lips disapprovingly. “You shouldn’t give up.”

“Tell that to my lying ex-boyfriend who, instead of apologizing, dumped me over a text message!”

Steve scowled. “I thought you were over him.”

“I am, I am—”

“Then, why can’t you forget about him? He didn’t deserve you anyway.”

Darcy tossed a handful of sprinkles over the cupcakes she had just decorated and insisted, “I know. I just… I’m really angry at him.”

“Why?”

“He broke up with me right before Valentine’s Day! Who does that?!”

“Who cares?” argued Steve.

“I care! Valentine’s Day is the one day when romance is guaranteed, when love reigns supreme.”

“What about all the other days?”

Darcy side-eyed him, huffing irritably. “I know what you’re getting at. It doesn’t help.”

Steve moved to stand before her. “Romance is not confined to one day, Darcy. With the right partner, every day can be Valentine’s Day.”

“You’re being annoyingly wise again.”

“It’s my thing.” He took her arm and tugged her closer. “Listen. Hang out with me and Nat today.”

She looked dubious. “I don’t know, Steve. I still have a lot to do.”

“Come on, Darce. It’ll be fun. I promise to help you with the remaining work later.”

It took her a while but she nodded slowly, biting her lip like she always did when she was uncertain about something. It was a completely innocent and unintentional move but it drew Steve’s gaze. He traced the curve of her mouth with his eyes before looking back up to find her watching him in mild surprise.

“You’re staring again,” she whispered.

“Yeah.” His fingers twitched with the urge to touch her. “There’s something on your…” His eyes flicked to her mouth again.

“Oh.” She raised a hand to wipe it but Steve stopped her.

“Let me,” he murmured, lightly cupping her jaw and swiping his thumb along her plump bottom lip.

Darcy sucked in a sharp breath but otherwise remained fairly still as he slowly and deliberately wiped absolutely nothing from her skin. The urge to lean forward and pull her bottom lip into his mouth was powerful and maybe he would have done just that if the timer on the oven hadn’t gone off. Darcy blinked uncomprehendingly when he pulled away abruptly.

“The cupcakes are done,” he told her.

“Right,” she mumbled dazedly, spinning away on unsteady feet.

“The oven is that way.”

She turned to stare blankly at him. He jerked his thumb to the left.

“Right.” She giggled breathlessly, changing directions. “I knew that.”

Steve bit back a smile, gratified to note that he wasn’t the only one affected by their proximity.

 

The weapons division was vast and Steve kept Darcy close, not wanting her to get lost. As expected, they found Natasha in the training center. She beamed when she saw him but her welcoming smile faded at the sight of Darcy. Steve’s gaze traveled to the woman standing beside Natasha and, with dawning dismay, he realized he had been set up.

“Hello, Steve,” said Sharon Carter.

The tiny hand on his arm slipped and he felt Darcy take a step back.


	6. Confession Time

Sharon Carter was a smart woman, and funny to boot. She silently watched Natasha, Steve and Darcy exchange glances before Darcy mumbled some lame excuse and made a quick exit. Natasha left seconds later. The moment both women were out of sight, Sharon raised her eyebrows at Steve.

“Did I wear everyone down?”

In spite of himself, Steve chuckled. He didn’t know if Natasha had left to catch up with Darcy or if she had just wanted to leave Steve and Sharon to themselves but he reluctantly decided that he couldn’t leave Sharon alone after what had happened. He had already been plenty rude not seeking her out while she was at the facility.

The situation with Darcy would unfortunately have to wait.

He smiled weakly and took a step closer to her when she waved her hand dismissively and said, “I’ll be fine at the shooting range. You go after your girl.”

“Who?” Steve acted dumb.

“Really, Rogers?”

Looking at the challenging twinkle in her eye—so much like Peggy—Steve was ashamed to admit that he actually considered taking her advice and going after Darcy; but while that would undoubtedly be a rather romantic gesture, it also wouldn’t be right to abandon Sharon, not when he was seeing her after such a long time.

He shrugged and said, “I’ll catch up with her later. She’s not going anywhere.” _But you’ll be gone in a few days_ was implied.

Amusement danced in her eyes and she smiled. “Come on. I’ll buy you coffee. Then, you can tell me all about your new friend.”

Spending time with Sharon wasn’t so bad. Steve realized that, after what happened in DC, he hadn’t given himself the chance to get to know her. It had been too weird and perhaps he had been slightly bitter about her keeping an eye on him undercover. But Sharon Carter was all right. And while she did remind him a lot of Peggy, Steve had always known nothing would ever come out of it except perhaps friendship and an awkward coffee date proposal outside their tiny DC apartments.

Natasha fell into step with him the next day when he was making his way to the much-awaited anti-Valentine’s Day party. She tried to catch his eye but Steve ignored her and kept walking.

“Are you giving me the silent treatment?” she wondered out loud.

“I’m giving you the _get out of my face before I punch you_ treatment.”

“Rude.”

Meanwhile, in the noisy lab space that they had cleared for the party, Darcy was more than a little stunned to see so many people turn up. The Lying Pizzas and Cheating Cupcakes were dwindling fast and she wondered whether she should ask FRIDAY to place an order for more. The giant candy-filled teddy bear had surprisingly been destroyed in the first fifteen minutes of the party by one Dr. Jane Foster and some guy from the weapons division. He was stronger but Jane was angrier and, together, they brutally slayed the bear, snagged some candy and went in a corner to commiserate over their absent boyfriends.

Darcy had only just stepped away from the din to talk to FRIDAY when someone grabbed her elbow and pulled her into the empty lab next door.

“Hi,” said Steve.

She glared at him, breathless. “You scared me.” Shrugging out of his grip, she crossed her arms irritably. “You’re late. And we’re out of pizza. Also, we should have made more cupcakes.”

Steve surveyed her dubiously. She seemed annoyed for all the right reasons. It wasn’t what he had expected at all.

“Are you all right?” he asked her.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Steve bit the inside of his cheek as he studied her. “Then, why did you leave yesterday? And why have you been avoiding me?”

“I haven’t been avoiding you,” she replied, turning to frown at the door. “Now let me go. I need to order—”

Steve stepped to her right, blocking her path. “So, you haven’t been taking my calls because… you lost your phone?”

Darcy huffed. “I had stuff to do last night. You _know_ that.”

“What about this morning?”

“I was busy.”

Steve pursed his lips, seeing right through her lies. “Is that so?”

Darcy fell silent, defiant gaze fixed firmly on his. “What do you want me to say?” she finally asked.

“Natasha told me what you said to her yesterday,” Steve began, watching her carefully. He could see the betrayal in her eyes before she closed them and took a breath.

“She shouldn’t have.”

“Is it true?”

“Steve…”

“Do you have feelings for me?” he pressed, taking a step closer to her.

“It doesn’t matter!” she snapped, trying to push him away from her. “Look, I’m fine. I know why Natasha keeps asking you to hang out with Agent Carter. She’s brave and beautiful and I bet she’s not silly enough to throw a hate party just because her boyfriend dumped her.”

“It’s not a hate party,” Steve said automatically. He wondered when the tables had turned – when Darcy had started thinking like him and when he had started defending Darcy’s actions. Something else clicked in his brain and he scowled as her words replayed in his mind. “You sound like Natasha. What other bullshit did she feed you?”

Darcy shook her head. “She didn’t feed me anything. Just apologized for what happened. Not that I deserve an apology. I have no right to be upset or jealous about anything.”

“You were jealous?” He shouldn’t be too happy about it but it was the best thing he had heard all day and he couldn’t stifle a smile at her unnecessary distress.

“Why are you smiling?” Darcy asked, sounding hurt. “And what are you even doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Carter?”

Steve laughed and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight hug. “Wanna hear something cool?”

“No.” She pushed at him halfheartedly.

“Fine. Then, will you go out with me?”

“What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter to go, then we're done.


	7. Valentine's Kiss

Darcy looked a little shell-shocked at his abrupt question. Steve bit back an amused smile, unable to comprehend how she had even assumed he would want to be with anyone else when he had been spending every waking moment with her for the past week. He thought he was being fairly obvious in his intentions and yet there he was, watching an astonished Darcy opening and closing her mouth in a bid to form a coherent sentence.

“But… but Agent Carter—”

Steve shot her an incredulous look. “You think I’d go out with Sharon when all I really want to do is be with you?” When she didn’t immediately reply and stood frozen in his arms, Steve continued steadily, “Natasha made a mistake. She thought she knew what I wanted and did what she did to save us both the heartache. She thought we’d end up hurting each other and she didn’t want that.”

That caused Darcy to snap out of her stupor. “That’s stupid! You can’t hurt anyone.”

“I can assure you I have,” he informed her, noting how she was quick to defend him but had completely forgone standing up for herself.

“No,” she said firmly. “You’re Steve Rogers.”

Her faith in him was heartening and Steve shook his head fondly. “The point is,” he insisted, “I want _you_ , not Sharon or some other—”

“What’s that on your eye?”

Steve paused and blinked. Then, waved his hand impatiently. “It’s okay. Whatever it is, I’ll get it later. So, what I was saying was…”

Darcy raised her hand, completely ignoring him, and let her fingers hover over his face. “It’s distracting. I can get it for you.”

It was just his luck to have something (probably toothpaste) on his face when he was trying to do something important like confess his feelings for Darcy. He sighed and closed his eyes, allowing her to gently brush her thumb over his eyelid. She was surprisingly light with her touch—there was no rubbing or scraping to get rid of whatever it was that was stuck to his skin—and when her fingers slowly strayed to his cheek, it almost seemed like she was mapping his face instead of helping him with a random toothpaste blot.

Steve was about to open his mouth and ask her what she was playing at when her hand suddenly moved to rest on the back of his head and he was pulled down. His eyes fluttered open in surprise a second before Darcy’s lips slanted over his, forcing a startled sound out of him which she happily swallowed. His heart thumped wildly and he was momentarily frozen in place before his body realized what was happening and responded accordingly. His arms around her tightened and he fervently parted his lips to taste more of her.

Darcy was a soft ball of tenacity and passion. She bounced and squirmed, doing everything short of climbing up his body in a bid to get closer to him. Steve laughed against her lips when he felt her step on his shoes to reach his height.

“Stop being so tall,” she huffed irritably.

“I can’t help it,” he murmured, running his lips over her jaw and boldly nipping her skin. “Do I really have something on my eye?”

“Uh-huh.”

He pulled back to see the corners of her mouth tick up into a naughty smile. “Using my own tricks against me? I thought you’d have better ideas, Darce.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she responded stubbornly.

“Come here.” He laughed and kissed her again.

She didn’t let him hold her for long, insisting that they needed to get back to the party. Steve was a little disappointed that she wanted to stay behind instead of cozying up with him to make up for lost time, but he went with her anyway, because he had an almost equal hand in preparing for this event and he wanted to see how many people had turned up.

His jaw dropped a little at the crowd and he quirked a brow at Darcy, who was smiling. “Told you men would want to come, too,” he boasted.

Darcy rolled her eyes but her smile never faded. She looked lovely in a bright blue dress and her eyes shone when she looked at him. It was the best he could do not to carry her back to the lab next door and kiss her some more. She was his girl now and he didn’t think he had been this happy in a long time.

He glimpsed Natasha talking to Helen Cho at the other end of the lab. Steve chuckled seeing Sharon there, too. Both women smiled at him when they caught his eye. Sharon’s gaze flickered to Darcy and she snuck Steve a quick thumbs up while Natasha put an end to her conversation and started making her way toward the couple.

Darcy saw her coming and it was almost scary the way she immediately stepped in front of Steve, as if protecting him from danger. Her fists found their way to her waist and over her head, Steve saw Natasha stopping in surprise. No one had ever dared thwart her and here was Darcy, standing firmly in front of Steve, trying in vain to hide his bulk with her curves. Natasha’s eyes swept from Darcy to Steve and back before a small impressed smile crept up her face and she nodded curtly, taking the hint and backtracking to Sharon and Helen.

Darcy turned to wrap her arms snugly around Steve’s waist. “See, this is how it’s done.”

Steve nodded, humoring her. “You sure showed her.”

“She won’t bother you now.”

“I hope not.” He dipped his head to capture her lips.

“Darcy,” Jane called from somewhere to their left. “You’re not allowed to bring a date to a singles party!”

“Bugger off, Jane,” Darcy yelled before giggling and melting into his embrace.

All in all, it was a good Valentine’s Day for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is the ending unsatisfying? Tell me if it is. I can take it.
> 
> As for Steve's assumption about having a toothpaste blot on his eye... before you question my logic, let me tell you that it is entirely possible. I don't know how but it is. *sniffs defensively*


End file.
